The present invention relates broadly to devices for guiding traveling strands in textile machines and, more particularly, to a strand guiding device for use in circular knitting machines.
As is known, circular knitting machines produce tubular knitted fabric for use by clothing manufacturers. Such knitting machines basically include a rotatable needle cylinder with axial needle slots formed in spaced relation to one another about the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder. A plurality of latch type knitting needles, each having a yarn receiving hook and a closable latch assembly, are reciprocably disposed within the axial cylinder slots. The knitting machine has a plurality of knitting stations positioned for movement into and out of yarn feeding disposition adjacent the upper end of the needle cylinder to feed yarn to the needles thereat. The needles are operatively manipulated within their respective slots of the cylinder by stationary cams positioned adjacent the cylinder to engage and act on cam lobes formed on the needles during the rotation of the needle cylinder. An appropriate control drum or similar control arrangement of a conventional construction is provided on the machine for determining the necessary transitional changes in the machine operation to form the knitted fabric.
During knitting operations, fabric, in the form of fibrous thread strands, is fed from a multiplicity of packages disposed circumferentially around and outboard of the knitting machine for feeding the strand material into a disposition for engagement with the latching assembly of the knitting needles. Current strand guiding devices comprise eyelets mounted to support members through which the strand is directed. The diameter of the eyelets is typically much greater than the strand size so that the traveling strand experiences chaotic laterally displacing movement within the eyelet as it travels therethrough during ongoing knitting operations.
Modern stretch knit fabrics are typically formed of cotton or other non-stretchable fabric strands interknitted with a synthetic elasticized fiber during knitting operations. The preferred synthetic elastic fiber is known commercially as LYCRA.RTM., produced by E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. of Wilmington, Del. LYCRA.RTM. is relatively expensive when compared to cotton or other fibers and is also relatively thin in cross-section. Accordingly, any disruption of the knitting process when knitting LYCRA.RTM. with other materials can cause irregularities in the finished product. Further, the LYCRA.RTM. fibers, due to their elasticity and diminutive cross-sectional size, are more difficult for the latching assembly of needles to engage. If the latches cannot engage the fibers, knitting operations are disrupted for a period of time while the problem is corrected which reduces the efficiency of the knitting operation.
Conventional strand guides do not work well with LYCRA.RTM. fibers. The large opening of the eyelet and the aforesaid chaotic motion of the traveling strand make it even more difficult for the latching assembly of the knitting needle to engage the strand. Further, frictional contact of the LYCRA.RTM. traveling over the eyelet's inner surface can damage the traveling strand. Abrasion of the strand may result in reduced product quality while strand breakage may reduce overall operational efficiency.